Song of the Day: Vince Watson – Love in F Minor

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s selection, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Love in F Minor” by Vince Watson from the 2012 album Every Soul Needs a Guide on Everysoul Records.

If you are into Detroit techno or similar sounds, chances are you’ve listened to Vince Watson a lot. He’s been around the block a couple times to say the least, releasing material on a variety of labels since 1995, including Carl Craig’s infamous Planet E. It’s a genre that paved the way for a new era of electronic music in the late 80s and throughout the 90s. Using elements of soul and jazz, Detroit house grooves are unmistakeable, and as a master of the craft (even thousands of miles away from the city), Watson is a quintessential name in the game.

“Love in F Minor” shows us that Watson is still on top of his game, despite taking five years to string Every Soul Needs A Guide together. “Love” is a thumping club necessity with an easy soul. The jazzy synth pulses throughout soothe the restless progression of a classic Detroit house beat as it goes through wave after wave of variation and metamorphosis. The version of the track we find on Every Soul is bit scaled back from the club anthem nature of its 2010 single incarnation, but it is evident that Watson has taken the necessary time to allow this track to occupy a fitting place on the record as well as a fitting place on your late night playlist. Altogether, it’s a playbook Detroit techno track from a veteran that continues to surprise us with his development.

Vince Watson has only a few upcoming gigs in the U.K. and Germany, but you can keep track of him and his music on his website and Facebook page. For now, here’s a quick sample of his live show: